Surprise baby meets surprise proposal

When Sean contacted me about photographing his surprise proposal at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, I don’t think he anticipated my business name “Fertile Hope Photography” to connect with their story like it would in the weeks to come.

I usually promote photo sessions within my niche of womanhood, motherhood, and fertility journey photography, but sometimes I get special requests that I simply cannot resist, and this Friday the 13th proposal was one of them.

Sean thought that this would be the perfect date to surprise Becca and pop the question because she loves horror movies. But nothing scary would happen here, only love and celebration. But he did not know at the time all that they would be celebrating during this photo session.

One week before the session, I got a message from Sean asking for a phone call because he had news that could impact things. Of course, I made time for us to speak that evening.

Sean told me the beginning parts to a story that had me worried from the start. He told me that a few weeks ago, he and Becca had been traveling, and upon their return, Becca was experiencing severe back pain that they hoped would get better with sleep. The next day, it was much worse. It landed her in the ER.

One of the first questions that doctors ask in situations like these is if she is pregnant. The answer was no.

Until the ultrasound.

Not only was Becca pregnant, but she was 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant and going into labor!

Becca did not have any recognizable signs or symptoms during her pregnancy, yet here they were finding out this news from the ultrasound technician with only minutes to process before being transported over to another hospital and only hours before they would meet their surprise baby.

Baby Ivy was born healthy, and Becca recovered smoothly, which was a relief for me to hear in a story that took a turn that I was not expecting. I asked what changes could be made to the session that could better accommodate Becca's postpartum recovery and Baby Ivy. To my surprise, Sean said that both were doing extremely well and could make it out for a stroll on the beach as their first outing as a family of three! How sweet. The only difference in plans would be to remember to pack diapers along with the ring box!

Sean told Becca that he had a surprise for her; it was a family session at the beach. I asked if Becca might be suspecting anything unusual, and he said that she was so delighted to get out of the house and be at the beach that nothing else crossed her mind.

Friday the 13th was proposal day, and it had arrived. I was so excited to meet Sean, Becca, and this sweet surprise baby.

I smiled as soon as I saw Sean and Becca strolling Baby Ivy along the Virginia Beach boardwalk. Baby Ivy was sleeping soundly. We greeted each other by the pier and were ready to make it onto the sand. 

We started the session with family photos so that Becca would not suspect anything. It also gave us a chance to find the best spot for Sean to propose. When it was time for mama daughter photos, this was Sean’s cue to kneel behind her, and when he was ready, I told Becca to turn around, and Sean took it from there.

Tender and beautiful is how I would describe the feelings that stirred within me. To witness and be part of such a special moment in a beautiful story was an honor. Sean and Becca’s story inspired me with fertile hope, the very idea that I seek to capture in all of my sessions, though this time, quite literally.

We joked about how I am a photographer that took on a session not listed in my usual offerings, but it ended up becoming a session just like it, one that documented their fertility journey, after all.

I would be honored to capture your story of fertile hope, no matter where you are in your story. If you are interested and would like to chat more, book a discovery call with me on my contacts page.